Clamp for holding articles on clotheslines



Oct. 6, 1953 E. E. SAUERMAN 2,654,134

CLAMP FOR HOLDING ARTICLES ON CLOTHESLINES Filed Sept. 24, 1952 E, E. Sane/mam INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1953 UN [TE-D CLAMP FOR I-IOLDIN ARTICLES 6N CLOTHESLINES Edward Sauerman, ,Miami, Application September 24, 1952-,SeriflNaii11d97 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates -to :a :clamp :for :holding an article on a clothes line and has for its primary object to retain articles of clothing and the like while they are being exposed to the atmosphere for drying or for similar treatment.

Another object is to avoid the loss of clamps through their falling off of a clothes line either when in or out of use.

A further object is to provide a clothes line with permanent clamping devices so that it may be ready for instant use.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a body having an elongated relatively deep groove extending therethrough, an arm carried by the body and extending laterally therefrom in spaced relation to the groove, a clamp finger carried by the arm adjacent the end thereof remote from the body, a fulcrum carried by the body and extending through the groove in spaced relation to the bottom thereof and adjacent the end thereof adjacent the arm, and means carried by the body on the side of the fulcrum remote from the arm for engaging a clothes line and rocking the body and arm about the fulcrum to advance the clamp into engagement with a clothes line extending through the groove.

Other features include an opening extending through the body in substantially perpendicular relation to the bottom of the groove on the side of the fulcrum remote from the arm, a plug closing the end of the opening remote from the groove, a spring extending into the opening and engaging the plug, said spring being adapted to engage a clothes line extending through the body for rocking the body and advancing the clamp finger toward the said clothes line, and a lever carried by the body and extending outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite the arm for rocking the body against the effort of the spring.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of a clamp embodying the features of this invention showing it mounted on a clothes line,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clamp illustrated in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the clamp,

Figure 4 is an end view of the clamp, and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail a body It! is provided with an elongated relatively deep groove [2 for the reception of a clothes line L,

s and carried byway andextending outwardly a: substantially parallel spaced rel-a tion to the bottom were groove 12 is an arm 14 carrying seat the \end thereof remote from the b dy a clamp finger at; having a relatively shallow groove T8 therein which partially embraces the clothes line L to hold an article A on the clothes line L. Extending through the body in spaced relation to the bottom of the groove 12 is a pin 20 which is adapted to engage the clothes line L and form a fulcrum about which the body ill may rock-on the clothes line.

Extending through the body in substantially perpendicular relation to the bottom of the groove [2 is an Opening 22, the end of which remote from the bottom of the groove I2 is closed by a threaded plug 24 which threadedly engages the opening 22 and is adapted to be adjusted longitudinally in said opening. A compression coiled spring 26 extends into the opening through the end thereof which opens into the groove l2 and engages the plug 24 as will be readily understood upon reference to the drawings. It is to be noted that the opening 22 lies on the side of the fulcrum 20 remote from the arm l4 so that the spring 26 engaging the line L will cause the body to rock about the fulcrum 20 and advance the finger l6 into contact with the clothes line L. A suitable lever 28 is carried by the body and extends laterally therefrom in a direction opposite the arm [4 so that the body may be relatively rocked about the fulcrum 20 and against the effort of the spring 26 to disengage the finger [6 from the clothes line L.

In use the pin 20 forming the fulcrum is extracted from the body and the device placed on the clothes line by introducing the clothes line into the groove 12, after which the pin 20 is replaced so that the spring 26 will yieldingly bear against the clothes line L extending through the roove l2. The device is thus permanently mounted on the clothes line and cannot be lost. When it is desired to clamp an article on the clothes line, pressure is exerted on the lever 28 to advance it toward the clothes line L to thus rock the body It! against the effort of the spring 26 and about the fulcrum 20 to lift the arm 14 and disengage the finger l6 from the line L. With the finger thus disengaged, the article to be clamped to the clothes line is placed between the clothes line and the finger l6 and upon releasing pressure on the lever 28 it is obvious that the spring 26 will rock the body [0 about the fulcrum 20 to thereby yieldingly advance the finger l6 into clamping engagement with the article A. The article A will thus be firmly clamped to the clothes line L until such time as pressure is exerted on the lever 28 to rock the body 10 about the fulcrum 20 and against the effort of the spring 26 to release the article from the clothes line.

Obviously with the use of a clamp embodying the features of this invention it is impossible for the clamp to become lost or disengaged from the clothes line until such time as the pin forming the fulcrum 20 is withdrawn from the body.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of part-- may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

A clamp for holding an article on a clothes line comprising a body having an elongated relatively deep clothes line receiving groove extending therethrough, an arm carried by the body and extending outwardly therefrom in spaced relation to the longitudinal axis of the groove, a clothes line engaging clamp finger carried by the arm remote from the body, a fulcrum carried by the body and extending across the groove adjacent the end thereof adjacent the arm, said fulcrum being spaced from the bottom of the groove and being adapted to engage a clothes line lying in the groove, said body having an opening extending therethrough on the side of the fulcrum remote from the arm, said opening lying substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the groove, a plug closing the end of the opening remote from the groove, and a spring seated in the opening and engaging the plug, said spring being adapted to engage a clothes line and rock the body about the fulcrum to yieldingly advance the finger toward the clothes line extending through the roove.

EDWARD E. SAUERMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,295,428 Burseweide Feb. 25, 1919 1,799,717 Wilson Apr. 7, 1931 

